After releasing their first EP ‘I’m Sorry…’ back in 2012, introducing the world to the iconic track ‘Sweater Weather’, California’s innovative dark pop group The Neighbourhood have taken the world by storm. Flash forward a few years, and the five-piece are now four EPs deep with their brand new addition, ‘Hard’. A well needed breath of fresh air, the 5-track effort remains comfortable in their noir, black and white aesthetic yet continues to put their sound forward.

Opening with the slow starting ‘Roll Call’, lead singer Jesse Rutherford sleepily sings about a little soldier that’s being controlled, put onto a field, and is being told to kill without question. Although The Neighbourhood have refrained in the past from commenting on anything political, the track explores thoughts about the injustices facing the world; the down beat and scratchy sounds portray an almost free and liberating feeling when listened to paralleling lyrics such as “I want to walk like me / I want to talk like me.”

Keeping in tune with their nostalgic sound, including a hazy, plunging bass and tunnel effect on the vocals, the song pushes the band lyrically whilst maintaining the sound that has come to be expected of The Neighbourhood.

Later numbers such as ’24/7′ follow in the band’s traditional and already firmly established style, incorporating electronic samples with bass and percussion. The modernity in this track presents similarities to indie bands such as The 1975 and rising pop-rock giants like Twenty One Pilots.

The music continues to pick up tempo-wise as the musicians emulate the sounds of earlier alternative rock in ‘Noise’, a track about growing up to question those you’ve idolised in the past. It’d work perfectly in an adolescent coming of age movie soundtrack, with both its impressive lyrics and moody melody.

Closing the whole thing off with ‘Sadderdaze’, we return to the slower tempo of the EP’s opener, with the strings evoking a feeling of completion, bringing the release to the perfect ending. Alluding to the struggles of adjusting, this finale is an excellent play on words, encapsulating the feelings felt when listening to this track.

From start-to-finish, The Neighbourhood have created a solid EP that has an incredible sound. Each offering here is equally as captivating as the next, with both a comforting yet experimental sound.

Having dropped two surprise EPs in ‘Hard’ and ‘To Imagine’ at the end of 2017 and start of this year respectively, it seems that Californian dark rock/indie band The Neighbourhood intend to continue relentlessly putting out new material having just announced details of their third LP. Read More

Date: March 20th 2016 Venue: O2 Ritz, Manchester Support: Kevin Abstract / MOTHXR Website: www.thenbhd.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/theneighbourhood Twitter: www.twitter.com/thenbhd Rating: Though they may not be bothering the charts over here in the UK as much Read More

Release Date: October 30th 2015 Label: Columbia Records Website: www.thenbhd.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/theneighbourhood Twitter: www.twitter.com/thenbhd Rating: American alt rock troupe The Neighbourhood have been making quite a name for themselves with the industry bigwigs since signing Read More

After releasing two successful EPs in September and January respectively, Californian rockers The Neighbourhood are back with their third full-length self-titled LP. Delivering a third album that lives up to the success of previous work isn’t an easy task, and though this effort certainly manages to retain the monochrome aesthetic that the band have generated for themselves, it unfortunately lacks in both originality and excitement. Read More

Los Angeles based outfit The Neighbourhood have confirmed details of their sophomore full-length, titled ‘Wiped Out!’, which is scheduled for release on October 30th 2015 through Columbia Records. You can check out the album artwork, Read More